NEWARK, Del. -- The Bates baseball team scored five runs in the second inning and never looked back, defeating St. Lawrence 12-3 Friday afternoon to start the 2026 season on the right foot.
Senior
John Tully (Framingham, Mass.) tossed five shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out three to earn the win.
With the game scoreless, the Bobcats (1-0) jumped on St. Lawrence starter David Zuhlsdorf (0-1) in the bottom of the second. Sophomore
David Swift (Yarmouth, Maine) drew a walk to start the frame and sophomore
Max Dushney (Ashland, Mass.) got hit by a pitch. Sophomore
Tyler Tucker (Hamilton, N.J.) bunted his way aboard, loading the bases with nobody out. First-year
Brady Thompson (Newark, Del.) reached on a fielder's choice, driving in Swift for the first run of the game. Thompson promptly stole second and sophomore
John Federico (Durham, N.H.) got hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Dushney scored on a passed ball and one out later junior captain
Keagan Ryan (Salem, N.H.) got plunked to load the bases for a third time. Senior
Jack Margiloff (Rye, N.Y.) chased Zuhlsdorf from the game with a two-RBI single to left, making the score 4-0 in favor of the Bobcats. Then senior
Gibby Sullivan (Yarmouth, Maine) greeted new pitcher Michael Flyzik with a single to up the middle, scoring Ryan and extending the lead to 5-0.
Tully (1-0) held the lead with ease. Including the final out of the top of the second, he retired the final 10 batters he faced in order, working perfect third, fourth, and fifth innings. Junior
Nolan Hobbs (South Portland, Maine) relieved Tully and tossed a 1-2-3 sixth. Then in the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats blew the game open with four more runs.
With one out, Thompson doubled against St. Lawrence reliever Will Nardella. A ground out moved Thompson to third and he scored when senior
Joe Yoxall (Dallas, Texas) smacked a single to left. Ryan singled Yoxall to third and Margiloff singled him home for a 7-0 lead. Margiloff stole second and Sullivan doubled in both runners to make it 9-0.
Seven of the first nine Bates runs came with two outs, including all four runs scored in the sixth inning.
The Saints loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the seventh, but Ryan caught a fly ball off the bat of Max Cloutier in center and threw out the runner trying to score from third for a double play. Hobbs struck out the next batter to end the threat.
The Bobcats added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, sophomore
Tyler Tucker (Hamilton, N.J.) doubled to right against St. Lawrence reliever Brendan Young. Thompson drew a walk and Tucker advanced to third on the play thanks to a passed ball. Federico singled home Tucker and a sacrifice fly from Yoxall plated Thompson.
The Saints scored three runs in the eighth, two of which were unearned thanks to two Bates errors, but it was too little too late. Sophomore
Charlie Bushley (Cohasset, Mass.) relieved Hobbs and struck out a pair of batters to end the frame.
Bates scored their final run of the contest in the bottom of the eighth. Margiloff doubled against St. Lawrence reliever Owen Gray to start things off and he proceeded to steal third, setting up Swift. Swift drove home Margiloff with a sacrifice fly and the score stood 12-3.
Senior
Max Dio (Wellfleet, Mass.) worked a scoreless ninth to finish off the win for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats finished with 12 runs on 12 hits while holding the Saints to three runs on nine hits. Margiloff led the way, going 3-4 with a double, two runs scored, three RBIs, and a walk for Bates. Ryan went 2-4 with two runs scored, Sullivan finished 2-4 with a double and three RBIs, and Tucker went 2-5 with a double and a run scored.
Mike Siano, Eddie Morrissey, and John Gannon paced the Saints with two hits apiece, with Gannon smacking a double and driving in two runs.
Bates baseball is back in action Saturday when the Bobcats take on St. Lawrence in a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 10 a.m.
